Spinach Salad by Chef Michael R

Fun, vibrant and healthy is how I describe this salad that pairs well with many proteins. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lge handfuls baby leaf spinach - big stems removed
• 1/2 cup sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 1 lge tomato - cut up to your idea of bite size
• 1/2 cup chickpeas
• 2 tbsp roasted pepitas
• Luscious Lemon Vinaigrette - click for recipe

Preparation:

Place the pepitas in a small skillet with medium heat. Toss frequently until they get to a nice toasty brown. Remove from hot pan into cool bowl and set aside to cool.

Once pepitas are cooled, mix all ingredients in large salad bowl and add vinaigrette.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

 

Weeknight Chicken Soup

Full credit for this recipe goes to the American Diabetes Association who posted it in their Diabetes Food Hub. It can be on a weeknight table in 30 minutes provided you have some pre-cooked chicken and barley. Enjoy!

Makes 8 one-cup servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion - diced
• 2 carrots - diced - amount per serving is okay even with cooked carrot's high GI
• 3 celery stalks - diced
• 16 oz white or baby portobello mushrooms - sliced
• 32 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup pre-cooked barley
• 2 cups pre-cooked chicken breast - shredded

Preparation:

Add oil to a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes with some tossing.

Add broth, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and thyme stem. Add the barley and chicken and heat through for 2-3 minutes.

Note:

Precooked barley can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days. Alternately you can freeze 1 cup servings in baggies for up to six months.

Cooked chicken can also be stored frozen for same time, but anything refrigerated should be used within 3-4 days.

 Blessed be...and happy cooking!

San Diego Rattlesnake Eggs

We stumbled upon this very tasty appetizer at a restaurant in San Diego years ago. The name is what really intrigued me and I chuckled at the menu description. Our server did not know why the appetizer had the name, but it really didn't matter because these "rattlesnake eggs" were just insanely good! I've done my best here to recreate the dish... hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6-8 small/medium jalapeno peppers
• 6-8 med/lge peeled & cleaned shrimp - cooked & chopped
• 1 strip lower sodium bacon per jalapeno
• 4-6 oz regular cream cheese
• green parts from two scallions - minced
• olive oil
• garlic powder to taste
• extra heat like paprika, crushed Aleppo pepper, sriracha optional

Preparation:

Wash and dry the jalapenos. Slice open one side and carefully remove seeds. Do your best to keep the stem in place as it will serve as a "handle" for eating.

Soften the cream cheese using a fork and a touch of olive oil to mash. Combine with shrimp, scallion, garlic powder and any other heat you choose. I personally find the heat of the jalapeno to be plenty, but feel free to make these babies sing your own tune. :-)

Carefully stuff each jalapeno until full... then wrap each one in a slice of raw bacon. Place the assembled eggs in a lightly sprayed baking dish with the end of the bacon strip at the bottom of its jalapeno so it doesn't unravel during baking.

Bake at 375 F for 40-50 minutes or until the bacon is golden brown. Serve with a ranch style dipping sauce or create something on your own. I like to lean toward citrus & yogurt for this one. 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Baked Halibut with Dijon/Mayo/Panko

Halibut is such a lovely fish... dense and meaty yet mild in flavor. It works well with moderately robust seasoning, but you don't want to add too much so as to lose the beautifully delicate flavor of the fish itself.

For this dish I prepare a coating of Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and olive oil to coat the fish before pressing both sides of the filet into plain Panko. I prefer plain over seasoned Panko for this coating so the flavor of the fish itself is not overwhelmed.

Ingredients:

• 2  6 oz halibut filets
• mayonnaise
• Dijon mustard
• olive oil
• 1/2 head bok choy
• 12 grape tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
• a boatload of fresh spinach (you know how it shrinks lol)
• 2 cloves garlic
• kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Fish: Mix enough mayo, mustard and oil to cover both filets and have some left over for the veggies later. Press the filets into Panko and set in baking dish. Heat your toaster oven to 380 degrees. Time the actual bake with your vegetables so everything is done same time. Bake at 390 for 8 min and then broil for another 1 min or until the Panko gets to your preferred color brown.

Bok Choy: Cut the bok choy into bite size pieces and cook in covered pot with a touch of olive oil on medium heat and frequent tossing. Add salt to taste, but go easy. Once cooked, add some of the Dijon & mayo coating and mix well. Finally add the tomatoes and toss until warm but still firm.

Spinach: Smash and mince two cloves garlic and sautee in olive oil. Once garlic starts to brown, add the boatload of spinach and cover. Toss frequently as spinach wilts. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Remove from heat when your desired wilt is achieved.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

REALLY Simple Fish Soup

Have you ever found yourself at the end of a long hard day with nothing prepared for dinner? No? ...smiles... Well, if and when it does happen... like it did here last night... Remember Chef Jacques Pepin's inspiration of... 

"Just use whatever is in your fridge."

I smiled... and scrounged. :-) I decided on a simple fish soup that actually turned out quite good... good enough to repeat in a more planned version! Use this recipe as is... or have some fun with whatever you have in YOUR fridge! Enjoy :-)

Ingredients:

• 6 oz bite size pollock
• 1 yellow onion - cut up
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 16-20 oz chicken stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a midsized nonstick saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent and edges just start to brown. Add frozen peas and toss until peas soften. Add partially defrosted fish and toss to blend flavors.

Add stock and bring to a simmer. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Simmer until fish is cooked... 5-10 minutes, and serve.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Garlic Shrimp & Tomato over Cauliflower Mash by Chef Michael R - A Definite Favorite

Every now and then even favorite dishes will evolve... either by choice, necessity or sometimes sheer luck. In this case I was upstate and wanted to make my Garlic Shrimp & Shirataki Noodles for my father-in-law. I could not find any Shirataki noodles at the local grocer so I improvised and served the dish on a bed of cauliflower mash. Turns out this version outshines the original! LOL 

Although now heavily adapted, I will still give Craving Something Healthy credit for the original idea. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 medium yellow onion - minced
• 2-3 tbsp salted butter - as needed
• flavored bread crumbs - as needed
• salt & pepper to taste
• 
  
• 12-16 oz large shrimp - peeled, deveined & tail off
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil as needed
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 small - medium yellow onion - minced
• 12 oz grape or cherry tomatoes - pierced
• 1 tbsp+ fresh parsley - minced
• 1 tbsp+ fresh basil - minced

Preparation:

Cauliflower Mash:

Cut up the cauliflower and use your preferred cooking method until the florets are moderately soft. I simmer/steam in my Guardian Service - lid on.

While the cauliflower is cooking, mince the onion and saute in a bit of olive oil until translucent and slightly browned. Set aside for later, including saute oil for flavor.

Once the cauliflower is cooked, use a potato masher to break up the florets.

Add butter and puree the cauliflower using a stick blender. Add salt, pepper, butter and maybe flavored bread crumbs until you achieve a consistency and flavor to your liking.

Finally add the sauteed onion to the mix and blend well. Set the mash aside and keep warm.

The Shrimp Topping:

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 2+ tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan on medium-high heat, and saute the shrimp for ~1 minute on each side, or until they just turn pink. Remove them from the pan and set them aside - covered.

Add the garlic & onion to the skillet with another splash of olive oil and saute for 5-6 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and let them cook for 6-8 minutes with occasional tossing, or until they start to break down. I usually pierce them with a sharp knife so they give off their juice and don't pop.

Chef's note: If you don't have cherry tomatoes, you can substitute with regular ones cut up, adjusting cook time so they retain some of their integrity/shape.

When the tomatoes are just about finished, add the basil, parsley and a bit more oil if dry. Saute for 1 more minute.

Add the shrimp to the pan with the tomatoes and garlic. Toss everything well to combine.

Place a bed of cauli-mash in each plate and top with shrimp mixture. Enjoy!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Creamy Colonial Crunch

Desserts... always a tough one in the realm of diabetes. The ingredients here have a relatively low GI, and by limiting the quantity to what a sensible dessert SHOULD be, you can indulge without freaking out . Yeah yeah, I know... yogurt and berries... what's the big deal, right? Well the big deal is that you're putting this together yourself. You can get creative with the fruit colors to represent different holidays or countries. :-) More importantly, you are TAKING CONTROL and making something delicious that won't wreak havoc with your numbers! :-) 

Ingredients:

· 1/2 cup fat free PLAIN yogurt
· Some blueberries
· two strawberries
· some sunflower seeds

Preparation:

Put the yogurt in a very small bowl. The key here is.... dessert, not a whole meal. Cut up the strawberries into small pieces so it looks like more than just two and place them on top. Add the blueberries and sunflower seeds... Done!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Weekend Ramble: Mushrooms & Diabetes

I found a couple of articles through a post in one of my diabetic FB groups, and considering how often I cook with mushrooms, I was instantly intrigued.  It turns out that mushrooms probably won't help lower your sugar levels directly, but with a very low GI and GL, even cooked, they can certainly help your overall foodie happiness. Enjoy!

Mushrooms and Diabetes:

Have you been working with your healthcare team to create a dietary regimen that takes your diabetes diagnosis into account? In that case, there’s a good chance you know how crucial it is to eat nutritious foods – particularly vegetables. Following a diabetes friendly and healthy meal plan doesn’t mean you can’t have fun(gi)!  

Mushrooms aren’t vegetables, per se. Instead, they’re the fruiting bodies of a fungus. Despite this, they certainly deliver the sort of nutritional kick most commonly associated with veggies. They’re also often included in this category from a culinary point of view.  

Health Benefits of Mushrooms 

If you haven’t eaten mushrooms much before now, the variety of mushroom options available can be exciting. We’ll talk about some of the most popular mushroom varieties in a bit. For now, all you need to know is this: the health benefits associated with edible mushrooms are consistent across the board. 

Let’s start with the basics: a cup of raw mushrooms comes with a single gram of sugar, two grams of carbs, and no fat whatsoever. 

When you consume the same one-cup serving of mushrooms, you’ll get the following: 

• 22 percent of your daily value of vitamin B2 
• 16 percent of your vitamin B3 recommended daily intake 
• 12 percent of your suggested daily selenium intake 
• Other minerals (including phosphorus, iron, copper, and potassium) 

Different types of mushrooms 

As mentioned earlier, when you add mushrooms to your diet, you won’t struggle with a lack of variety. Here are just a few popular edible mushroom varieties to pick from: 

Portobello 

If you’ve ever eaten mushrooms before, there’s a decent chance you’ve had portobello mushrooms – these may be the most well-known edible mushrooms in the world. You can serve Portobello mushrooms in countless ways, but they’re famed for having caps that can be cooked like burger patties. 

Shiitake  

Shiitake mushrooms are another ubiquitous mushroom in the food world, often sauteed or included in soups like miso or ramen. No matter how you eat them, you’ll find a lot to like about their famed anti-inflammatory properties. 

King Oyster 

While they aren’t nearly as prominent as the last two mushroom varieties, king oysters are incredibly versatile. And just like the other mushroom species discussed here, they’re low in carbs and rich in nutrients. 

Lion’s Mane 

Since they’re relatively rare, you’ll likely have to pay a bit extra for lion’s mane mushrooms. But they’re worth the added expense, particularly if you use them to make vegan “fish” tacos. 

How can mushrooms help with blood sugar? 

In short... they will not lower your blood glucose directly, but they won't spike your numbers either. 

The soluble fiber beta-glucan found in mushrooms slows digestion and delays the absorption of sugars, thus helping to control blood sugar levels after a meal. Beta-glucans are soluble fibers that come from the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and some plants. They might lower the risk for heart disease. Beta-glucans might prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol from food. They might also stimulate the immune system by increasing chemicals that prevent infections.

Mushrooms are just plain fun and can add immense versatility in your cooking. Whether you use them raw or cooked, mushrooms can elevate your flavor palettes and make you a happy foodie. :-) Here's a solid reason to incorporate mushrooms in your meal plan.

Low glycemic index/load 

Two of the main things we look at in our diabetes friendly diet are, as you most likely already know, the glycemic index and glycemic load of any given food. When we check the numbers for mushrooms, we find that they are an impressive option. Mushrooms have a glycemic index of 15 for raw and mid 30s for cooked, placing them way down in the low range. The glycemic load for these beauties is also very low at only about 1.0 - 1.9 depending on preparation, making them a perfect food option.

Conclusion:

Mushrooms are just one of those foods that can help make our diabetes friendly cooking fun. They aren't any kind of miracle cure... not at all. What they are is a food you can include in may different ways without worry. Mushrooms can easily take a dish to Next Level, whether it be a soup, a sauce/gravy or even a salad. Sautee them and add to a green vegetable and suddenly something like simple green beans becomes a star quality side. Add them to a slow cooker meal and watch your dish explode with earthy flavors. Add them to a simple breakfast omelet and start your day with a smile. There's really no end to the possibilities with these little gems. :-)

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Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

Roasted Asparagus & Red Bell Pepper

 Credit goes to Chef Robert Lewis at happydiabetic.com

Roasted asparagus in the oven is one of the easiest ways to prepare asparagus. Just coat them with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and maybe a little minced garlic, and roast them until lightly browned and tender.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of asparagus
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic -chopped
• 2-3 tbsp thin red bell pepper slivers
• salt & pepper to taste
• lemon juice for drizzle

Preparation:

First, wash the asparagus in cold water and trim away the lower 1/4 of the stalk. Toss the asparagus in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp chopped garlic. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to your tasting. 

Roast at 425°F on a foil-covered baking sheet until stalks are soft and the skin is slightly crispy. Turn the stalks at 10 minutes of roasting time, add the bell pepper and roast another 8-10 minutes.

Cutting thin strips of bell pepper to roast on top of the asparagus will offer a feast of flavor for your pallet and a feast of color for your eyes! Top your cooked asparagus with a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice. Serve with something like my Garlic Butter Baked Cod.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Lemon Cream Cheese Halibut

I deviated from my normal fish coatings just a tad and decided to try using cream cheese instead of my usual mayo or yogurt as a base. It turned out to be a really nice flavor that beckons for dinner on the deck watching a beautiful sunset. I paired the halibut with some Brussels Sprouts Almondine. It was a well matched side, and you can find that recipe by clicking here.

Ingredients:

• 2 6oz halibut filets
• 1 1/2 cups plain Panko
• 3 tbsp cream cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• olive oil cooking spray

Preparation:

Mix cream cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt & pepper

in a dredging dish. I find a dinner fork works well for this.

Coat filets with the mix, press into Panko and then place in foil lined, sprayed baking tray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.

Serve with a green vegetable of your choice or use the aforementioned Brussels sprouts.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Pollock Tacos

Tacos, anyone? Use these ingredients or feel free to experiment on your own.

Tacos... just like hot dogs... are verrrrrrry personal!!! :-) LOL

Fish:

• 24 oz pollock bites - Wild Alaskan Company has the best, but any white fish cubed to bite size is good, too
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1tbsp salted butter

Mix dry seasonings in small bowl and set aside. Place thawed, cubed fish in a roomy bowl and toss with seasonings. Cover and place in fridge while you prep everything else to allow seasonings to soak into fish. When everything is ready, quickly fry in the oil and butter and serve immediately.

Garlic Lime Crema:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (1 lime)
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 -1/2 tsp sriracha sauce depending on heat preference

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and return to fridge.

Toppings:

• Soft taco shells… go small to play with different toppings
• 1/4 head red cabbage, shaved on mandolin
• 1 yellow onion, shaved on mandolin
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Lots of fresh cilantro destemmed
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges for that personal splash after assembly

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Tuscan Panzanella Salad

 Credit for this lovely salad goes to Maricruz Avalos at M.A. Kitchen

This panzanella salad is the ultimate Italian summer meal. Loaded with juicy tomatoes, crunchy onions and cucumbers, this bread salad gets its wonderful flavors from simple, high-quality ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz stale crusty artisan bread - cut into cubes
• 1 lb cherry tomatoes - cut into quarters or halves
• 1 medium red onion - quartered and sliced thin
• 1 English cucumber - peeled, halved and sliced
• 1 bunch basil leaves - hand shredded
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar - as needed
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mix two parts of water and one part of vinegar enough to soak bread in a large bowl. Add bread into the bowl with vinegar mixture and immerse it well so it can soak while you’re preparing the veggies.

Once you have all vegetables cut and ready in a large bowl, squeeze the bread to remove excess of moisture, and then crumble it into the bowl with veggies.

Season with salt and pepper, then add a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil and lots of hand-torn basil. Mix well to combine everything. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:

If you using fresh bread, I suggest to slicing it and leave it in the countertop covered with a kitchen towel overnight, so it will stale and be ready next day or you can pop it in the oven for a couple of minutes to dry it a bit.

Allow panzanella salad to rest overnight, the flavors will infuse bread resulting in a more flavored dish.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Spicy Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta Cheese

Credit for this dish goes to Carol Borchardt, owner of  From A Chef's Kitchen

Spicy Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese is an easy weeknight dinner or a great appetizer to share with friends.  Best of all, it bakes up in one dish for ultimate ease... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper - start light and add if needed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cloves garlic - chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley - plus more for garnish
• 1 pound large shrimp - (16-20 count) peeled, deveined and tails removed
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• crusty bread - for serving
• lemon wedges - for serving

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss together tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and salt.

Roast 20-25 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and bursting.

Add garlic, lemon juice, parsley, shrimp and stir together.

Top with feta cheese.

Bake another 12 to 13 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through and cheese is melted.

Garnish with additional chopped parsley.

Serve with crusty bread and more lemon wedges.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Mediterranean Shrimp and Scallops

 

Credit for this vibrant dish, with minor changes, goes to Mary at Oh, that's good!

This Healthy Mediterranean Shrimp and Scallops Recipe (for two) is a lightened-up version of a popular Mediterranean shrimp skillet. This easy shrimp recipe is a perfect choice for a busy weeknight dinner. With a little prep, this dish can be on the table in 35 minutes! Great for those following a Mediterranean diet or those who love Mediterranean foods and Mediterranean recipes. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 medium/large shrimp - peeled and deveined - tails on 
• 4 large sea scallops - sliced in half horizontally
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼` teaspoon kosher salt - use less if table salt
• ¼ tsp granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil - divided
• 3 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
• ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes - halved
• ¼ cup bottled clam juice, seafood stock or veggie broth
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp lemon juice - freshly squeezed
• 1.5 tbsp flat leaf Italian parsley - coarsely chopped - or sliced scallions
• 1 cup pearl barley - cooked in chicken stock for flavor

Preparation:

Get your barley started first as it will take 30-40 min to cook.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Slice the scallops in half horizontally and pat dry.

Combine paprika, kosher salt, sugar, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and mix well. Place the shrimp and scallops in the bowl and fold gently until all the seafood is coated.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large sauté pan or non-stick skillet over medium heat being careful not to burn it. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not brown the garlic! Remove the cooked garlic and set aside to be added back later.

Add the shrimp and sear both sides over medium heat. Move the seared shrimp to one side of the pan to make room for the scallops.

Add the scallops in a single layer on the open side of the skillet, being careful not to crowd them. After turning them once, cook them for 30 seconds on the other side. As they get nicely seared, move them to the side with the shrimp. When all the seafood is seared, stir to mix.

Add the tomatoes, the remaining 2 tbsp of oil, the cooked garlic and the chopped parsley.

Mix the clam juice, wine, and lemon juice in a small bowl and add to the pan. Raise the temperature of the hot skillet to medium high heat. Simmer for one minute, then remove the shrimp and scallops to a plate and set aside to be added later.

Simmer the sauce until the tomatoes begin to shrivel and give up their liquid. Continue simmering until the liquid reduces and thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.

Return the shrimp and scallops to the pan. When the shrimp and scallops are opaque, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle on some fresh parsley or scallions, and black pepper to taste.

Serve in shallow bowls, poured over pearl barley.

Weekend Ramble: The Right Way to Sauce Pasta

Thank you, SeriousEats, for a long overdue education!

Every now and then I come across someone who tells me to use pasta water in one way or another. For years I simply shrugged and said....."Yeah, okay."

Recently while roaming around my favorite recipe sites and groups it seemed like the "pasta water" phenomenon was surfacing more frequently. Not one to miss out on improving any given food, I decided to give it a try.

Now before any of my fellow diabetics start questioning my defense of the often maligned pasta in our diet, I urge you to remember that pasta actually has a glycemic index in the low range. What makes pasta a possibly bad choice for diabetics is the massive portion generally served in restaurants and homes alike. If you stick to a small portion and fill the rest of your plate with a sensible protein and a salad, pasta is a viable option in a D-friendly diet.

Now that we've established that a small portion of pasta with your favorite sauce is a viable choice, why not make the taste, the mouth feel and indeed the entire culinary experience the best it can be?! :-)

I found a lengthy and entertaining article on the subject written by J. Kenji López-Alt at SeriousEats, but for purposes of education here on my blog I'm just sharing the actual steps for properly saucing pasta.

The Right Way to Sauce Pasta

Pasta heated in a skillet or Dutch oven with sauce has a vastly different and superior flavor and texture compared with pasta that is simply sauced on the plate. Fact is, no matter how great a sauce you can make, if you don't sauce your pasta correctly, you're missing out on one of life's greatest pleasures. Conversely, even a so-so, store-bought, jarred marinara sauce can be improved upon by finishing it off right.

Here's how to properly sauce your pasta, step by step.

Step 1: Heat Your Sauce Separately

With few exceptions, pasta should be tossed with sauce that is already hot and ready. You don't want your cooked pasta to heat up in a cold pan of sauce, slowly absorbing more water and becoming mushy.

I use either a wide saucier - the sloped sides of a saucier make it easier to use for tossing pasta than a straight-sided saucepan - or a large skillet for my sauce.

Step 2: Cook Your Pasta al Dente (Really)

In a separate pot, bring a couple of quarts of salted water to a boil. Remember: You do not want your pasta water as salty as the sea. One to two percent salinity is what you should aim for, which translates to around 1 or 2 tablespoons of kosher salt per quart or liter. You also don't need a huge amount of water—just enough to be able to keep the pasta moving. With small shapes, like penne or fusilli, I use a saucepan or a saucier. With long, skinny shapes, like spaghetti or bucatini, I use a 12-inch skillet.

There was a time in this country when the default for pasta was cooked-to-mush. These days, it seems like we have the opposite problem: Folks are so scared to overcook pasta that most of the time, it's undercooked. Pasta should* be cooked al dente - "to the tooth” which means just until it's cooked through. If your pasta has a chalky or brittle core, it's undercooked. Let it go longer!

*Actually, so long as you don't mind being branded a heretic by people who probably have more important things to be worried about than how other people cook their pasta, it should be cooked however the heck you want it. Mushy, chalky, whatever floats your tortellini.

Your other option is to purposely undercook the pasta by a few minutes before adding it to the sauce to let it finish. Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in boiling water will increase the amount of time it takes to cook through. It's a good technique to use if you want to delay serving your pasta for a few minutes. Make sure to keep the sauce thinned out with pasta water as the pasta finishes cooking if you use this method.

Finally, whatever you do, don't toss cooked pasta with oil - it makes it much more difficult to get sauce to cling to it down the line.

Step 3: Transfer Cooked Pasta to Sauce

There are a couple of ways to get your pasta from the pan to the sauce. The easiest is to grab a set of tongs for long, skinny pasta, or a metal spider to fish out short pasta shapes, and transfer them directly to the pan with the warm sauce. Alternatively, you can drain your pasta through a colander or fine-mesh strainer, making sure to save some of the pasta water.

Step 4: Add Pasta Water

Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding. No matter what sauce you're making—whether it's a chunky marinara, a rich and hearty ragù Bolognese, or a simple carbonara - it should acquire a creamy texture that clings to the noodles.

I start by stirring in a couple of tablespoons of pasta water per serving of pasta and sauce. We'll add more down the road to adjust consistency.

Step 5: Add Fat

If you have a very low-fat sauce (like a tomato sauce, for instance), now is the time to add extra fat. A small amount of fat—extra-virgin olive oil or butter—is essential to good pasta sauce texture. Without fat, you have at best watery sauce (nobody has ever said, "Waiter, my pasta is not quite wet enough"), and at worst sauce that over-thickens with starch alone and takes on a pasty texture.

With extra fat, you can get an emulsion that leaves the sauce creamy, but still loose. Fat also brings flavor of its own, as well as helping fat-soluble flavor compounds in the sauce reach your tongue. I add a little glug of really good extra-virgin olive oil or a pat of butter (depending on my mood and the specific sauce).

Step 6: Cook Hard and Fast

Once everything is in the pan together—cooked pasta, hot sauce, pasta water, and extra fat—it's time to simmer it. Simmering not only reduces liquid (and thereby thickens the sauce), but also contributes to mechanical stirring, helping that starchy pasta water do its job of emulsifying the sauce with the fat and getting it to coat the pasta. The hotter your pan, the more vigorously the sauce will bubble, and the better the emulsion you'll form. I crank my burner up to maximum heat and cook, stirring and tossing the pasta constantly (to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom), adding more pasta water as necessary until it gets that perfectly saucy texture.

Finishing pasta, you'll notice, is a game of constant adjustments. Pasta water gets added throughout the process in order to adjust consistency. Don't be afraid of it!

Step 7: Stir in Cheese and Herbs off Heat

Once the pasta and sauce are where you want them, remove the pan from the heat and stir in any cheese or chopped herbs you may be using. With thicker, well-emulsified sauces, it's generally safe to add the cheese directly over the heat, but with a thinner sauce or one that doesn't have much besides the cheese, adding cheese while it's still on the burner can cause it to clump.

Step 8: Adjust Consistency

You thought you were done with that pasta water? Not quite yet! You're just about to serve the pasta, which means that now is your last chance to adjust texture. (And you'll probably need to: The cheese has thickened up the sauce a bit, the pasta has continued to absorb water from the sauce, and some of that water will have evaporated.) Once the cheese has been emulsified into the pan, it's safe to add more pasta water and reheat the sauce over a burner until everything is exactly as you want it.

Step 9: Garnish As Necessary

Transfer the cooked, sauced pasta to a warmed serving bowl or individual plates, then add the final garnishes, if you're using any. These can be anything from chopped fresh herbs to grated cheese to a big grind of black pepper. I like to drizzle on some fresh extra-virgin olive oil at this stage as well. Making sure that all of your serving plates are hot is key to great pasta texture: What looked perfect in the pan will seize up and turn overly thick if you dump it into a cold bowl.

Step 10: Serve Immediately

Pasta don't wait around for nobody. Once the pasta is in the sauce, there's a countdown timer that's automatically started and cannot be paused. Pasta will continue to cook and soften as it sits. The sauce will start to cool down and thicken.

The only solution is to serve it immediately and to eat it with gusto.** If you've done everything right, that shouldn't be a problem.

**That's Italian for "with enough speed to speckle one's tunic with splatters of sauce."

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Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R